A Shadow of Hope
by Avinman55
Summary: A hedgehog with nothing left to live for. A small rabbit girl with a large heart but no one to share it with.  Could these two overcome fate with a friendship so strong nothing could tear them apart? Read, Review, and let me finish so you can find out.
1. Chapter 1

A Shadow of Hope

"I'll be with you soon, Maria." whispered Shadow as he broke the red valve of the propane tank.

He started walking towards the stove, cranking up all knobs, spewing gaseous vapors all around the

room.

Cream walked cheerfully up to the black house.

_I wonder what has been up with Mister Shadow since the ARK. Well, I'll guess I'll ask him._

She knocked on the black painted oak door. While waiting for Shadow, she thought she

smelt something bad, almost like rotten eggs. She pushed open the door, and the smell got stronger.

She walked down the ominous hallway, calling Shadows name. She went around the corner and gasped

at what she saw.

Shadow was crying when he struck the match. He threw the the match towards the stove when

he heard the gasp. He twisted around and saw Cream.

_Why the hell is she here? Oh SHIT! The gas! She will surely die! NO! NOT HER! She is too much _

_like… Maria…_

He made the split second decision. When the gas ignited, he sprinted towards Cream, held her

tight, and Chaos Control'd out, but not before he felt the flames lash out at ebony body.

_(Cream's POV) _

_ Mister Shadow grabbed me and I felt this tight squeeze all around my body, and appeared in _

_front of Mom's house. _I looked at him, but he smiled and collapsed on the ground,twitched twice, and

didn't move again.

**Well, this is my crappy attempt at my first FanFiction. What will become of Shadow? What will **

**happen to Cream? Why am I asking vague, pointless questions? The World may never know, or at **

**least until I get 3 reviews to see if anyone actually sees potential in this. ** **Seacrest Out!**


	2. Chapter 2: A New Beginning

A Shadow of Hope Chapter 2

A New Beginning

"_Shadow, I beg you! Give them a chance, to be happy!"_

"_But Maria-"_

" _I beg you"!_

Eyelids flutter momentarily while the owner tries to make sense of the scene in front of him. A

red echidna placed a red gem at the foot of the bed, his face one of sorrow. The owner drifts

unconscious again…

…A yellow fox with two tails is working on what looks like a brace of some sort, stops and looks

out the window, muttering "It shouldn't happened like this, it wasn't his time." The fox broke down and

while sobbing he left the room.

…A pink hedgehog sobbing uncontrollably over the shoulders of the Faker, staring at the bed

with unbelievable sadness, hugged the pink hedgehog trying to console her…

…A high-pitched voice rung out in a sweet tone, reading a bedtime story to the comatose hedgehog.

She finished with a smile, hugged the sleeping form, when she heard her mother call for her in the other

room. "Coming Mother!" When she left the room, a small "I miss you" could be heard…

Shadow struggles to wake up, and when he does, he doesn't recognize the strange room he was in. It

was orange, with pictures of a rabbit family. There was a tall, handsome sepia male rabbit with a sly grin,

and to his right was a young, female, light tan rabbit, who looked pregnant. He smiles, then

remembered what happened, exclaimed "Cream!" and goes to get out of bed, but cries out in pure

agony. The whole of his back has 2nd degree burns. It felt like someone took a cherry red hot cheese

grater to his back. Vanilla, in the other room, heard the outburst, and rushed into the room to see what

happened, noticed Shadow was awake, and smiled. "Nice to see you are finally awake." she said.

"Cream! Where is she? Is she all right? Is she-

"Shh Shh. It's all right. Look next to you, Shadow."

Shadow looked to his left, and in a leather armchair, was the small rabbit girl, fast asleep. She was curled in a tight ball with her ears wrapped around her body as a blanket. In her arms was a stuffed carrot, and nuzzling her head was the cute blue chao, Cheese.

"She hasn't left your side since the first night, Shadow."

Shadow felt something he has never felt before. 'Guilt? Relief? No, it was more pleasant. It was

a light, twittering feeling in his stomach. He was touched. He didn't think anyone still cared for him, let

alone depend on him like that. For the first time, he was speechless.

"She will be ecstatic when she finds out you are awake." Vanillla said. She walked over to Cream

and whispered "Wake up, Creamie, there is someone who wants to see you."

Cream rose her head groggily, her large doe-like eyes blinking lethargically, and centered her

eyes on Shadow. When she made eye contact with him, the sleepiness in her system disappeared . Her

look of confusion shot into a look of pure joy.

"Mister Shadow! You're finally awake!"

She launched herself at Shadow, forgetting about his burns, gave Shadow an Amy Rose-size hug.

He gasped in intense pain.

"Mister Shadow, are you okay?" asked Cream, concerned.

"Cream, I will be if you get off." stated the ebony hedgehog.

" Oh my goodness! I'm so sorry!" chirped Cream, letting go.

Shadow grumbled, looking at Vanilla. She smiled, then her face hardened. If looks could kill, Shadow

would be dead. Shadow right then knew he was in for it.

"Cream, could you leave the room for a few minutes, sweetie?" asked Vanilla through her teeth.

"Okay, Mother, I'm so happy that Mister Shadow is okay!" added Cream.

When she was out of the room, Vanilla turned around and shut the door firmly. Shadow knew

this was coming sooner or later, So he figured that it was best to get it over with now, rather than later.

She asked the one thing he had been dreading.

"Why, Shadow, why did you do it?" She finally released.

"The ARK. Since the ARK, I've felt alone. No one cared about me. Maria was dead, shot by GUN. Gerald

was dead. Captured by GUN. They single-handedly took the closest thing to a family that I would ever

have. My mind lost all reason at that point. I was in a complete rage. Hatred, spite, and sorrow flowed

through my veins. The only thing in my mind was revenge. I used Eggman to further my revenge by re-

activating the ARK. I sent the ARK on a collision course towards the planet, determined I was doing the

right thing. Only problem was, I wasn't. Maria told me to forget and move on, not to hold Earth

responsible for GUN's actions." Explained Shadow, with an audible tone of discomfort.

"After Sonic and I stopped the ARK, I felt completely lost. No reason to live, no purpose in life,

alone. I was a living weapon, created for destruction. I wasn't supposed to exist. The pain of knowing all

this was too much for me to take. I decided to take my life, spare myself from an eternity of

suffering."

"What do you that would've done to the people around? The people who love you?"

Vanilla says, trying as hard as she can not to cry.

"But I…"

"Why do you think my little Cream was at the house? She cares about you! You are her idol! She

loves you. What if you went through with it? That would have devastated her! She doesn't even fully

understand what you were trying to do! What if you didn't see her? What if she had gotten killed too?

You need to get your shit together! Do you even really care? I bet you don-"

Shadow, at that moment, did something he has never done before. He cried. Hard.

"If I didn't care, would I have saved her? If I didn't care, would I be here right now, with a reason

for you to be angry? You need to understand, Maria was all I ever had, and GUN took her away from me,

forever, along with the closest thing to a father I would ever have. I lost my family, and I didn't want you

to go through the same. I do care, and your daughter being alive is the proof. I…the truth is she reminds

me of Maria. I need her. She needs me."

"….I love her…"

**And that's the end of Chapter 2. Thanks to Shadow12517 and lavender123 for the reviews. I find it **

**hard to believe it is as good as people say it is, but who I am I to judge? If you have any ideas, I'm **

**open to anything to help me. Shadow goes perfect with Cream on many levels, most of us would **

**agree. I beg for reviews, so I know if I'm doing good or not, so bye!**

**P.S. Don't expect updates this rapidly, because I'm moderately busy, and actually have a life (Surprise **

**Surprise :3) Oh, and a big 'I Love You' to the people who encourage me on a daily basis and enjoy my **

**work. **


	3. Chapter 3: A Turn For The Worse

A Shadow of Hope Chapter 3

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

5:08 PM

Disclaimer: I DO NOT own Shadow, Cream, etc., SEGA and Sonic Team does.

"Wake up Shadow, it's 12 o' clock!"

Grumbling, Shadow stepped out of bed, a look of discontent on his face. Cream was frowning at him playfully.

"Hey, attitudes like that won't get you want you want. Come on, Mom wants us down in the kitchen. It's breakfast time, and I know much you like Mother's cooking." Cream added. She left the room to feast upon the aforementioned food.

'Damn, shes right, her cooking is the BEST!' Shadow walked. He walked down after her.

The kitchen, essentially, a friendly room. There was a six-seat oak table, with a carrot centerpiece.

He admired the sight, then the smell hit him. It was glorious, the crisp bacon, the fluffy pancakes, the fresh maple syrup. He dashed to the table, eagerness in his eyes. Vanilla, bringing a jug of milk with her, laughed at him.

"It never gets old how much you like my cooking!

Shadow sat down, popped up the lid on the syrup, passed it around and dug in. Shadow swore that was the most he has ever eaten, to date.

After a hearty breakfast, Vanilla discussed the days plans. First, they were to head over to Tails's for Shadow's checkup to see if he has recovered enough to be on his own again. While discussing this, Shadow and Cream both had a sour look, but no one noticed this. They cleaned up, not knowing that today was they day that would change everything.

Two Hours Later

Cream was outside of Tails's workshop, thinking about Shadow. She was conflicted, because she wanted Shadow to be alright, but she didn't want him to leave. She decided to stop thinking about him, because it was wearing her out, then sighed thoughtfully. She saw a few chao walk past. She grinned slightly, thinking about Cheese. The blue chao was at her house, sleeping like baby.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard twigs being stepped on. She turned around, and what she saw terrified her.

"What are you doing here? Wait, what is that... Don't! Stop! Get away!

Help me Sha-"!

Inside of the Workshop

Shadow was inside of the machine. The machine was revolutionary, a scanner that checked every system, organ and energy readings of the body. Tails was very proud of it, seeing as he built it alone. He has been building it for years, but hastily finished it when Shadow was hurt.

Shadow heard something click twice, a beep, and another noise that sounded somewhat suspiciously like a modem. He felt a warm heat on his body, when Tails spoke through the built-in intercom.

"Shadow, I'd advise you to close your eyes for this part. It's a little bright."

I think I can handle it, considering I'm the Ultimate Life- Holy Hell that is bright!" Shadow exclaimed. He heard snickering through the intercom. Shadow thought to himself 'They'll regret that when I get out.'

"Circulatory, check. Blood Pressure, check. Chaos energy... Oh my god, there is something y-y-you might want to see." Tails stuttered out. Shadow stepped out of the machine, curious as to what spooked Tails.

"What's wrong? Is there something bad?" Shadow asked, wary of the answer.

"Your Chaos Energy is abnormally high!" Tails exclaimed.

"How is that possible?" Shadow asked.

"I think while in your coma, you generated extreme amounts of energy to heal yourself, but it wasn't all used. Your rings must have stored all the excess power!" Tails explained.

Well, I guess it will come in handy at some point, I guess." Shadow said, not really caring.

"Well, don't you care about the extreme amount of energy?" Sonic said, not believing his ears.

"Well, I guess a lot doesn't phase you after what I've been through. So how's Amy?"

She has been on me about getting a real job, but I don't really care" Sonic said, apathetic.

"I bet you'll care when you aren't getting any" Shadow chuckled.

I guess... Hey, shut up!" Sonic sputtered indignantly.

"So is this it, Tails? Can we go?"

Knuckles begged.

Yeah, that sums it up. Cya later, guys!

Shadow exited the workshop, walking towards the forest where Cream was playing.

'That power flux is really starting to make me wonder. Will it be good or bad? Either way, I'll find out soon enough'

Shadow walked into the clearing, an instantly noticed something very bad was afoot.

Cream was gone.

Shadow sprinted to the log where Cream was, but there was no trace of her. Shadow jumped up and started to search the forest as fast as he could possibly go. Two hours later, he got back to the log. Shadow broke down on the dry log. He started to cry, ad hard as he tried not to, he just couldn't contain his anguish. He looked up, and noticed an ear piece. He reached out, his hopes running high. He picked up the solid black ear piece, looked at it, then his blood ran cold. He dropped the ear piece, and got up, unspeakable rage pumping through his veins. His eyes were furious, and if you looked into his eyes, you would die from fear at the very sight of the hate in his eyes.

Shadow dropped the ear piece, and took the green Chaos Emerald form his upturned spines. He turned towards the city and Chaos Controlled away.

The ear piece was on the ground, and on it was three letters which would start the war of unbridled fury.

G.U.N has struck again.

Sorry for the incredibly long time for the update. I have been busy with TONS of work. It might take a while for the next update, but expect something good. This chapter is kinda sucky, but hey, what can I do? I need more reviews from new readers and original readers because I need the encouragement and criticism. I will take requests, of romance, angst, friendship, etc. Hope you enjoy this chapter!

-Avinman55


	4. Chapter 4: It All Goes South

Chapter 4: It All Goes South

Thursday, September 06, 2012

11:05 AM

Cream woke up, looking around at her surroundings. She could barely see in the pitch black darkness, and was close to tears. She couldn't recollect any of what had happened to her, and she was hysterical. She started to cry, and her cries echoed around her in the chamber.

She didn't understand, and all she wanted was her mother, her chao, Shadow...

Shadow was running to Sonic's to look for help. He sprinted past Tails on the way, but didn't stop. He just kept going, the determination pulsing through his body. He arrived at the house and pounded on the door. He waited what seemed like forever, then finally the Faker opened the door. "Hey Shadow, haven't seen you for about an hour... Whats wrong?" he asked, noticing the look of despair on his face.

"cream.. She's gone..."

"Gone where?"

" G.U.N..."

"Tell me why the did that?" Somic asked derisively.

"How the hell should I know? I know that they are responsible!"

"Is it because of you?"

"I...what?"

"Is it because of you? G.U.N. was after you forever, maybe this is a trap to finally get you? Sonic chided.

"Maybe, but all I know is Cream is gone."

"Well go get her!" Sonic yelled.

Lights blinked on, and Cream woke up groggily. A soldier walked up to her and handed her a tray of food.

"Mister, where am I? Why am I here?" Cream asked frightened.

"Prison Island, hostage." the soldier replied.

He walked away, and the lights turned off again. Cream started to eat in the darkness, 'Why isnt Shadow here?"

Confused, Cream tries to think of a possible reason why she would be used as a hostage. Her mom owing money? Tails invention being to useful for the government? Shadow and the A.R.K? It must be something…

Meanwhile at Tails's lab

"G.U.N has taken Cream, and we need to go retrieve her. Intel has shown that they are holding her at the maximum security outpost known as Prison Island. She is in Cell Block D. I am going to go get her. Alone."

"Damn it! There met be something you can help me with!" Shadow shouted with teeth bared.

"I'm sorry but the only thing I can do is give you a Chaos Emerald!" Tails said. They were in Tails's lab, and discussing the forecoming assault on Prison Island. Shadow was starting to get agitated.

Shadow sighed. "If it's the best you can do, I guess it will have to do." Tails handed over the Chaos Emerald. It shined with a red gleam on its multi-faceted surface.

As Shadow was leaving the lab, he turned around.

"If I don't make it back, send the team." He trusted up his arm and yelled "Chaos Control!" He was enveloped in a ruby red glow, then disappeared.

Shadow appeared in the White Jungle, and landed on the ground. He stood up, and looked around at the life-filled jungle. He knew that he wasn't far from the Prison, and started to skate to the facility. He dodged tree from tree as he sped towards His friend He launched onto a fallen tree and grinded onto its surface. 'I'm coming Cream!'

Cream wows pacing in her cell when a door opened up. She looked at it fearfully as an egg shaped man walked in.

"Doctor Eggman!" Cream cried. Please let me go! Please!"

Dr. Eggman let out a facetious laugh as he shook his finger. "Ohoho! Do you really think your silly games will get you out? Ha!"

"Then why am I here? I did nothing wrong!" Cream said, tears in her eyes.

"Bait! You're here to bring Shadow to me! When he saved the Earth, e turned his back on me! So I'm gonna finish him once and for all! I even got G.U.N. to help me destroy him!" Eggman laughed like the idiotic genius he is. He walked out of the room laughing. Cream sat down an started to cry.

"Oh Shadow, please don't get hurt"

Shadow skidded to a stop in front of the gates. He looks around and jumps over the gates. He lands precariously and starts to run into the facility. He ran past the guard post when sirens started to wail. He spun around and stared down the approaching soldiers. He sprinted towards the first soldier and kick flipped the bastard. Then, as he back flipped , he grabbed the soldiers and let fly a hail of bullets. He ran back and forth, dropping soldiers left and right, when a soldier clipped Shadow's shoulder. He growled and grabbed another gun and bulldozed the crowd. As the last soldier fell, Shadow dropped the guns and ran into the prison. Turrets were unleashing a lead hell upon Shadow, and Shadow's left leg was hit. He yelled in pain, and Chaos Spear'd the turrets. He limped into Cell Block d where the maximum security prisoners were held.

"Cream I'm almost there!" He blew up the doors, and ran past the cells until he ran up to the one with a cream and orange colored rabbit.

"CREAM!"

Shadow it's a trap! Look out! Cream yelled!

Shadow heard clapping from behind.

"Well, well, well. Look who decided to show up. Welcome to my, "little party"! Eggman said mischievously.

"Eggman! Why you-

"Enough! I brought you here, now it's time to end it!" Eggman yelled while he shot at Shadow. Shadow, not expecting this, got shot three time in the chest. Shadow, stumbled backwards and fell in the ground. He laid there, not daring to move. Everything was in slow motion and it was silent. Shadow saw Maria walking to him.

"M-M-Maria... It's over. I did it. I did what I was told... My mission is over..." Shadow breath started to rasp.

"No Shadow, your mission was to bring salvation to the people of earth. You did that, I know... But your hearts telling you to save that girl. You say she reminds you of me? The truth is, you love her for her. Not me. So you better not die on Cream while she still needs your help. Get up! Get up! Get..."

"...up! Get up Shadow!" Cream was crying.

"Don't die! Please don't die!"

Shadow heard this and started to struggle to get up. His arms gave way half way up.

"Oho! Your weak! And always have been!" Eggman laughed!

Shadow, upon hearing this, gave him the extra push. He jumped up, picked up the gun, and pulled the trigger. It pierced the fat man's skull. He fell on his knees, and fell face forward. Shadow, on the verge of death, opened the cell, grabbed Cream's arm and raised his arm.

"CHAOS CONTROL!"


End file.
